A word to the wise from people who know.

The following is wise advice from parkinsons.org.uk, a site I recommend to all PWP.

Hi all, AtreMorine is a supplement made from broad beans (Vicia faba). Broad beans can provide a natural source of levodopa, the chemical building-block that your body converts into dopamine and the 'active ingredient' found in some conventional Parkinson's medications. Essentially, natural sources of levodopa, such as AtreMorine work in the same way as Parkinson’s medications, which work to replace dopamine and help ease symptoms. However unlike with Parkinson’s medications which are of known doses, it’s hard to control the amount of levodopa you receive with natural sources.

We would encourage anyone with Parkinson’s who is thinking about trying supplements to speak to their specialist or Parkinson’s nurse. We also urge people to be cautious when buying supplements over the internet and be aware that they are not subjected to the same careful safety testing and monitoring as approved medical treatments.

At the moment, there is no treatment available that is able to slow, stop or reverse the progression of Parkinson’s. Our new research strategy strives to bring new and better treatments to people with the condition and we are funding many projects looking into treatments that could potentially stop, slow or reverse the progression of Parkinson’s. You can find out more information about our research here.

Best Wishes,
The Research team

Need I say more?

Of course I will. On to Gou Teng.

Traditional Chinese medicine can be very useful and beneficial, but be aware of charlatans preying on our weakness.

An herb called Cat’s Claw, also known as Gou Teng, became popular a few years ago, as a result of the research of Dr. Li Min, a TCM practitioner from Hong Kong Baptist University, in which she proposed that the combination of Cat’s Claws and other Chinese herbs could be the cure for Parkinson’s. Gou Teng herb has been used to help victims of “the shakes” for more than 2,000 years. Dr. li is no charlatan, she specializes in neurodegenerative diseases but I still advise caution when trying it out.

In my first year with our dark passenger, I ordered some gou teng from China. It came neatly packaged and official looking but I never opened it, having heard on the radio the danger that supplements from China were not always as they were advertised. Some supplements appeared to have been contaminated with material from the floor.

That was enough to put me off.

In the 6 years since I heard that gou teng was promoted as a possible cure, I have heard nothing more. It is still found on the internet, but there is no international hype describing gou teng as the next cure. I guess it didn't work. I think cat's claws must be like mucuna pruriens and AtreMorine - a natural source of levodopa; but, as parkinson's.org.uk advised it’s hard to control the amount of levodopa you receive with natural sources and the purity of the supplement might be questionable.

I continue to take a sit and watch approach to natural remedies; otherwise, I might go broke trying to keep pace with the appearance of the next all-natural cure.

By the way, I understand Dr. Li Min continues to study Cat's claw and its use in neurological problems. I wish her well.

Note - any comment from Theresa And, or anyone else with a similar story is a scam but I cannot delete it